A (Mile) High for Nomo

It’s Denver, Coors Field, the mile-high stadium where, baseball pundits say, all hitting records eventually will be broken because of the thin air. Hideo Nomo is on the mound for the Dodgers in a division race that might make even a grizzled veteran choke under the pressure. Bottom of the ninth and in the stands the faithful of the Colorado Rockies rise to cheer--not their team but the opposing pitcher, who, it turns out, is three outs away from a no-hitter, the first ever at Coors Field.

One, two, three, the Colorado batters fall to the ace with the baffling “splitter” pitch. The stands erupt. It’s 9-0, Nomo’s first no-hitter and the 10th for the Dodgers since they came west from Brooklyn in 1958. In L.A., fans who had waited through a two-hour rain delay before the game popped onto their TVs jump to their feet in bars and bedrooms to hail the achievement. And in Japan, where Nomo pitched for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, and never had a no-hitter, satellite television delivers the news. “Sugoi!,” the kids yell. “Wow!”

These are the days in a baseball season when no ounce of effort is held back. Nomo came through, in spades, for the Dodgers in their tight battle with the San Diego Padres for divisional honors. Dodger Manager Bill Russell compared him with a sensational import of seasons past, Fernando Valenzuela. “Those guys say, ‘Give me the ball,’ ” Russell explained. The Mexican native had a no-hitter for the Dodgers six years ago. Now a Dodger from Japan has claimed that rare accomplishment.

Valenzuela is a Padre now. The Dodgers and Padres will play each other seven more times before the regular season ends. How good does it get? Never better. “Sugoiiii!” Play ball!